The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Chinese Elm Cultivar which has been denominated varietally as "ARoss/Central Park" and more particularly to such a Chinese Elm Cultivar which is somewhat similar in its overall botanical characteristics to the "Dynasty"; "Supervirens"; and "Drake"; Chinese Elm Trees but which is distinguished therefrom, and characterized principally as to novelty by being larger in size at full maturity as compared with the other varieties of Chinese Elm trees which it is most closely similar to, and by further producing leaves which have larger physical dimensions, the new and novel variety of Chinese Elm tree displaying noteworthy cold hardiness and disease resistance.
The Chinese Elm Tree Ulmus parvifolia is generally considered to be an attractive medium-sized ornamental tree which has excellent urban-hardiness and pest resistance. Introduced into cultivation in the late 1700's, this particular species of tree commonly is utilized in parks, on lawns, and in street-side locations. Heretofore it has been generally well-accepted that the use of most varieties of Chinese Elm Trees was probably limited to the southern portion of the United States including California, by reason of the variety's inability to withstand the extreme cold temperature experienced in the northern part of the United States. For example, the Chinese Elm Cultivars utilized frequency in this country, that is, "Dynasty" "Supervirens", "Drake" and "Tree Green" are most often cultivated in the southern states. In light of the noteworthy characteristics of the Chinese Elm Tree, nurserymen have long expressed a desire to locate a Chinese Elm Tree which would have an increased level of cold hardiness thereby permitting the species to be utilized in cited in the northern half of the United States. In this regard, it has been determined that the new variety of Chinese Elm Cultivar "ARoss/Central Park" is cold hardy to Zone 6 [Arnold Arboretum Hardiness Zones] and will readily grow in protected areas of Zone 5. Thus, the subject variety is one of only a very few cold hardy Chinese Elm Cultivars known at the present time.